Careers & Recruiting
Career Resources
The Social Enterprise Initiative has compiled the information below as a guide to those embarking upon a social enterprise job search. Initiative staff members are also available for individual meetings with current HBS students and graduates.
Job Search Suggestions
For MBA Students
- Consult with a Career Coach with social enterprise expertise.
- Leverage the experience of fellow students.
- Search classcards to identify those who have worked in industries or organizations of interest.
- Submit your resume in the Social Enterprise Club Resume Book.
- Network within related student clubs and interest groups.
- Research the experience of fellow MBAs to identify potential organizations and opportunities of interest. Past summer fellowship descriptions are available online via the Social Enterprise Summer Fellowships website, and full reports are on reserve in the Baker Library Services Career Resources.
- Utilize the MBA Career Services Industry Research tab.
- Explore the Alumni Advisor Network. Suggested keywords: arts/culture; community/economic development; education; entertainment/leisure/culture; foundation/grant-making; general government; health services; international development/relief; other nonprofit; social services; or search by the name of particular organizations
- Search the MBA Job Bank for social enterprise positions. (Suggested keywords: entertainment: arts/culture; government; nonprofit: community/economic development; nonprofit: education; nonprofit: foundations/grantmaking; nonprofit: international development/relief; nonprofit: other; nonprofit: religion; services: health related; services: social services; or search by the name of particular organizations)
- Explore external fellowship programs in social enterprise.
For MBA Students and Alumni
- Leverage the organizations and individuals with whom you have had previous contact, whether in a professional or volunteer context.
- Conduct baseline research and identify additional sources of information via the Social Enterprise Industry Research Guide.
- Search the Alumni Job Bank for social enterprise positions. (Suggested keywords: entertainment: arts/culture; government; nonprofit: community/economic development; nonprofit: education; nonprofit: foundations/grantmaking; nonprofit: international development/relief; nonprofit: other; nonprofit: religion; services: health related; services: social services; or search by the name of particular organizations)
- Additional resources via organizations with which HBS has partnership relationships include:
- Bridgestar, an initiative of The Bridgespan Group, working in concert with HBS, aims to help nonprofits build stronger organizations by facilitating the flow and effectiveness of passionate and highly skilled leaders into and within the nonprofit sector.
- The MBA-Nonprofit Connection (MNC) is a national nonprofit organization that facilitates the placement of business school students and graduates in nonprofit jobs.
Additional Nonprofit Resources
- Books
- The Harvard Business School Guide to Careers in the Nonprofit Sector, by Stephanie Lowell (MBA '99). Harvard Business School Press, 2000.
- Online resources for more information on nonprofit field:
- The Chronicle of Philanthropy
- Greater DC Cares
- GuideStar: information on more than 600,000 nonprofit organizations
- Microfinance and Development Venture Capital
- Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington
- The NonProfit Times: includes a resource directory with links to other nonprofit websites
- Websites with nonprofit job postings
- America's Promise Alliance
- CharityChannel
- The Chronicle of Philanthropy
- Council on Foundations
- Dot.Org.Jobs
- execSearches.com
- Foundation Center
- hireCulture.Org: a free, searchable database of cultural employment opportunities in Massachusetts
- Idealist
- Interaction: several key resources that are useful to people seeking paid or volunteer positions-in the U.S. and abroad-with international relief and development agencies
- International Jobs Center
- Nonprofit Career Network
- OpportunityKnocks

